Mac In Chiang Mai

[MacAfficionado]

I recently saw this comment on CM forum

If you have a Mac (as I do) you are in the wrong town unhappily.

I would like to get more information

I will retire in June in Chiang Mai and since I have been using Mac for 15 years, I would like to know if there is a reliable company to take care of my Mac computers

Is it better for me to buy in Europe before settling here or can I get good stuff at normal prices there?

Thanks for any information

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

I recently saw this comment on CM forum

If you have a Mac (as I do) you are in the wrong town unhappily.

I would like to get more information

I will retire in June in Chiang Mai and since I have been using Mac for 15 years, I would like to know if there is a reliable company to take care of my Mac computers

Is it better for me to buy in Europe before settling here or can I get good stuff at normal prices there?

Thanks for any information

No its not as bad as that. Go to www.applechiangmai.com

You can download a price list.

They have a main store west of Central shopping center and another smaller outlet at Robinson airport mall. They can get most anything and perform service and process Applecare warranty issues. Recently their prices have come down a bit and much closer to BKK prices than previously. Still it will never be as low as price as the states but its okay now.

It might however be cheaper to buy in Thailand than some Euro countries. I definitely think its cheaper than buying in the UK.

[unforgettable_thai]

I recently saw this comment on CM forum

If you have a Mac (as I do) you are in the wrong town unhappily.

I would like to get more information

I will retire in June in Chiang Mai and since I have been using Mac for 15 years, I would like to know if there is a reliable company to take care of my Mac computers

Is it better for me to buy in Europe before settling here or can I get good stuff at normal prices there?

Thanks for any information

No its not as bad as that. Go to www.applechiangmai.com

You can download a price list.

They have a main store west of Central shopping center and another smaller outlet at Robinson airport mall. They can get most anything and perform service and process Applecare warranty issues. Recently their prices have come down a bit and much closer to BKK prices than previously. Still it will never be as low as price as the states but its okay now.

It might however be cheaper to buy in Thailand than some Euro countries. I definitely think its cheaper than buying in the UK.

Most anything that has to be done under Applecare has to be sent to Singapore. I just had my battery replaced under Applecare and the shop here made me pay to send the battery off to Singapore (600Bt about 14Euro). The positive they got me a new battery in three working days.

[mongoose]

Check out the Singapore Apple Store online for prices and tax refund. A friend bought there and it was cheaper than CM by more than enough to pay for his ticket to Singapore.

Edited March 12, 2007 by mongoose

[The Dan Sai Kid]

I've had less to say about this than you, maybe we are both off-topic?

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

I've had less to say about this than you, maybe we are both off-topic?

yup I agree way off topic.... Sorry to the OP. maybe a moderator can blast some of this out of the thread. I had the same questions about Apple products availability when I came here a few years ago.

[The Dan Sai Kid]

I recently saw this comment on CM forum

If you have a Mac (as I do) you are in the wrong town unhappily.

I would like to get more information

I will retire in June in Chiang Mai and since I have been using Mac for 15 years, I would like to know if there is a reliable company to take care of my Mac computers

Is it better for me to buy in Europe before settling here or can I get good stuff at normal prices there?

Thanks for any information

Actually, IMHO you are better off buying in your home country. Coming from the UK price difference is slight and I can be pretty sure that the items haven't been sitting for ages or been exposed to high temps for long periods of time!

That's more on topic!

[Ta22]

Oh come to think of it ..

one of my Friends for about 7-8 years is a MAc dealer in Singapore .

If you do want to go get it in singapore -

i can link you up

maybe you can even get some special price .

or i can arrange him to send it over for me .

but you got to cover the shipment -

His name is Patrick . and if i am not wrong he been a MAc dealer for like ages since i know him .

So drop me a line if you thinking to get in singapore .

the MAc shop in chiangmai is in AIRPORT PLAZA -

You canget the copy mac program at Com plaza .

there is also a MAC shop After KSK - after the Shell oil station the T junction across a Farm like land - turn left - not sure if the MAc shop is still there .

[KhunMarco]

Oh come to think of it ..

one of my Friends for about 7-8 years is a MAc dealer in Singapore .

If you do want to go get it in singapore -

i can link you up

maybe you can even get some special price .

or i can arrange him to send it over for me .

but you got to cover the shipment -

His name is Patrick . and if i am not wrong he been a MAc dealer for like ages since i know him .

So drop me a line if you thinking to get in singapore .

the MAc shop in chiangmai is in AIRPORT PLAZA -

You canget the copy mac program at Com plaza .

there is also a MAC shop After KSK - after the Shell oil station the T junction across a Farm like land - turn left - not sure if the MAc shop is still there .

Yup still there,Huay Kaew Road from Central Mall (KSK) going toward CMUni ,first traffic light after Shell, turn left, 20 meters on the right.

Edited March 12, 2007 by KhunMarco

[Rasseru]

Yup still there,Huay Kaew Road from Central Mall (KSK) going toward CMUni ,first traffic light after Shell, turn left, 20 meters on the right.

My experience with them has been good. Last year I had to have them repair under warranty (Apple Care Protection Plan) a Mac that I had bought earlier in the year in Japan. They replaced some parts with new parts that they flew in from Singapore, getting it all done in three days, and it has worked perfectly since.

[p1p]

Sorry to the OP. maybe a moderator can blast some of this out of the thread.

Duly blasted - or otherwise made invisible.

Please stay on topic.

[Robroy]

I recently saw this comment on CM forum

If you have a Mac (as I do) you are in the wrong town unhappily.

I was the person who made that statement and I stand by it.

The local Mac dealer here is incompetent and dishonest in my experience, has confessed to scamming customers to a Mac-owner friend of mine.

Every other Mac user I have encountered here tries to avoid them - tho I acknowledge that people's experience differs, and there is at least one person on this thread who finds them okay.

Most Mac-owners I know go the Singapore route, or buy/fix their Macs in their home country. I go to Brisbane rather than deal with the CM guy.

There was talk among the Mac users' group last year of organising a petition to Apple to complain about their local rep, and to ask for someone reliable to be appointed. I'm not sure if that happened or not.

[Rasseru]

. . . . . there is also a MAC shop After KSK - after the Shell oil station the T junction across a Farm like land - turn left - not sure if the MAc shop is still there .

Yup still there,Huay Kaew Road from Central Mall (KSK) going toward CMUni ,first traffic light after Shell, turn left, 20 meters on the right.

A small point, but an important one if you are following these directions: you need to turn left at the second traffic light after the Shell station, not the first.

[mongoose]

There was talk among the Mac users' group last year of organising a petition to Apple to complain about their local rep, and to ask for someone reliable to be appointed. I'm not sure if that happened or not.

Email contact direct to Apple in California will probably get you action on problems. They straightened out a warranty claim of mine which was refused in Thailand through the Chiang Mai dealer and the Bangkok Apple service provider.

[nikster]

In my previous run-ins with the Apple Center Chiang Mai, the experience was always horrible.

The repair tech is relatively good. But anything else:

- Warranty claims on Macs are difficult to get through. The attitude is "you broke it!".

- Any accessory or add-on is overpriced by 50 - 100%. RAM, periphery, you name it. Anything but the actual machines.

- My wife agrees with me in that entering the shop near Huay Kaw is the most unpleasant of any shop I have seen in Thailand. No one greets you. Everyone ignores you. You have to beg for attention. There is total chaos in handling warranty claims and/or bills. No one in this shop is smiling.

- Mac prices used to be inflated, but are at normal levels right now. Watch out and compare with online shops to make sure you are not getting fleeced.

All the people I know agree with one exception. A friend of mine has had his iPod replaced there 3 times and loves the shop. But then again, he keeps going on how hot the shop assistant is, so I think his judgment may be clouded...

PS - some personal experiences:

- Trying to get my LCD screen replaced under warranty - this was a hard-to-see problem, but the attitude of the boss was basically that 1) I was lying, 2) The websites reporting that problem were lying 3) The demo image showing the issue was a hoax by somebody on the internet - nevermind that that would be impossible given the specific issue - 4) that Apple BKK will deny that claim so I better don't file it in the first place. I was like <deleted>?? just replace the ###### screen! Got it replaced under warranty eventually.

- Ordering 1GB RAM for Powerbook - got a quote from boss but wanted to think about it. Called the shop, ordered and was quoted 2x by the lady on the phone. I tried to explain to her that I had been quoted something different before. She got angry! She got really pissed off. I called a few more times to try to catch the boss, and each time she got pissed off at me. Eventually I ordered the RAM from the boss, for the price quoted previously. The lady on the phone apparently had no clue on the prices, but that didn't stop her from actually getting angry at customers.

... but the saga continues. I needed this RAM urgently, and was told it would take 1 day to arrive from BKK. That was one of the reasons I ordered it from the shop, to get it fast. Then it didn't arrive. Turns out it wasn't actually in stock and they had to wait for it from Taiwan! Each day I called I was told "tomorrow" which was a lie every time. Got pissed off, went to the shop, gave the owner an earful and wanted to cancel the order. remember I needed this RAM so I could do my work, it was urgent. Just as I did that, an EMS courier came in with the RAM. 8000 Baht vs the street price of 4000 at the time, but at least it worked.

- Got a replacement for the slightly bent underbody of my new Powerbook. Paid 7000 Baht. When I come to pick it up, they put a new underbody on it, but one that had a small dent! So I had traded 7000 Baht and bent underbody for one with a dent. Luckily I checked the PB in the shop, so I returned it right away, and they made some fuss and wanted me to pay 3000 Baht extra -for what, I have no idea?! Eventually they installed a new and flawless underbody.

Moral of the story: If you want anything from this shop, better be prepared to work for it.

As for good service in Chiang Mai, look at Acer. I have had my share of problems with Acer laptops, but the service center is the best I have seen. Extremely competent, and very quick. And friendly.

Edited March 14, 2007 by nikster

[nikster]

In some ways, AppleCenter Chiang Mai reminds me of the "old school" mac shops. Back in the days when only designers used Macs. They sold overpriced goods to people who had no choice and had an attitude to go with it. These dark days are long past, but AppleCenter CM is a leftover from that period.

Had only good experiences with Apple dealers in Singapore. I bought a Powerbook from X'it in Sim Lim, later found that the RAM stick I got with it was not up to spec so the machine would occasionally freeze completely. Like, once per day. I sent a letter with the invoice and the faulty RAM to X'it via mail and a little over a week later got a nice response letter with an apology and how sorry they are and a new RAM stick.

Edited March 14, 2007 by nikster

[KhunMarco]

. . . . . there is also a MAC shop After KSK - after the Shell oil station the T junction across a Farm like land - turn left - not sure if the MAc shop is still there .

Yup still there,Huay Kaew Road from Central Mall (KSK) going toward CMUni ,first traffic light after Shell, turn left, 20 meters on the right.

A small point, but an important one if you are following these directions: you need to turn left at the second traffic light after the Shell station, not the first.

Whooops!

[phichakmz]

Dear all,

We were directed to acknowledge this forum by one of our customer who said he would like to help out on this. However, we think we should approach ourselves as we are the people whom directly discussed.

For such small margins on IT business, we are trying our best to serve as much as we can under our Agreement with Apple Thailand. We face each day many types of clients from all over the world, some are so kind some we just have to be more patient.

As a business owner, I accepted some complaints in the past although I believe some comments were written with emotions. I would like to rectify all situations if I am approached directly. One thing about all negative comments I would like to find out is when it happened. The reason is in the past year (2006), we have improved in so many ways, as such I would like to apologize for all incidents that happened before 2006. We accepted our incapability and incompetence. This is what we have done in the past year;

1.Upgraded to Apple Service Provider at Sirimanklajarn Branch (2006). This upgrade includes training all new staffs manner and removed old ones. Technically, we passed Apple Certified Techincian Exam, including Desktop, Portable, and MacOSX. We price service parts according to Apple Service Parts Price list in USA.

2.We entered an "Service Excellence Program" conducted by Apple Thailand to improve Sale and Service staff's attitude to serve customer better.

3.Upgraded to Apple Premium Reseller located at Central Airport Plaza branch (Jan 2007). Although remaining small margins, our CPUs price is set to standard price comparable to other countries in SEA, as a matter of fact our products are priced cheaper than some countries in Europe.

If some of the posters believe that your unpleasant experiences occurred during the past year, please contact me directly at 0817641527 or [email protected] Mr.Phichak Limprasutr and I promise to do all I can to improve the situation. For all complaints that may occur again, please email me while you are posting because this will help me to correct the situation more timely and precisely.

Sincerely Yours,

Phichak Limprasutr

MacZone Co.,Ltd.

Chiangmai

[Rasseru]

Bravo, Mr. Phichak Limprasutr, for coming into this thread and expressing yourself so forthrightly, and best of luck to you going forward.

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

Dear all,

If some of the posters believe that your unpleasant experiences occurred during the past year, please contact me directly at 0817641527 or [email protected] Mr.Phichak Limprasutr and I promise to do all I can to improve the situation. For all complaints that may occur again, please email me while you are posting because this will help me to correct the situation more timely and precisely.

Sincerely Yours,

Phichak Limprasutr

MacZone Co.,Ltd.

Chiangmai

Thanks for the progress report Phichak. Hopefully MacZone gets better and better over time. With all the exciting new products being rolled out I think more and more people will be shopping for Apple in the coming months and years.

A lot of falangs read this forum and a good reputation here would tempt more users to consider switching from PC to Mac

I have had generally good experience @ MZ and would just suggest

----Being a bit better at followup with local repeat customers.

----Redecorate the store. It's sort of disorganized. I think Apple users expect a little more elegance and function than currently.

----Consider hiring a customer representative person who speaks good english. Phichak is not always available.

Good luck making changes and feel free to ask us questions in this forum for feedback.

P.S.

I read recently that Steve Jobs is now worth 16 billion $'s. Wow. Long live Jobs :-)

[miltonbentley]

I can only speak from my experience but I have just purchased a Mac from the shop in question and found the service helpful and friendly.

I als echo Rasseru's words well done for fronting up to the criticism and for trying to get things right.

[phichakmz]

Thank you very much for all the comments, suggestions and the encouragement. We will do our best to serve you.

[bungalowbill]

I recently saw this comment on CM forum

If you have a Mac (as I do) you are in the wrong town unhappily.

I would like to get more information

I will retire in June in Chiang Mai and since I have been using Mac for 15 years, I would like to know if there is a reliable company to take care of my Mac computers

Is it better for me to buy in Europe before settling here or can I get good stuff at normal prices there?

Thanks for any information

No its not as bad as that. Go to www.applechiangmai.com

You can download a price list.

They have a main store west of Central shopping center and another smaller outlet at Robinson airport mall. They can get most anything and perform service and process Applecare warranty issues. Recently their prices have come down a bit and much closer to BKK prices than previously. Still it will never be as low as price as the states but its okay now.

It might however be cheaper to buy in Thailand than some Euro countries. I definitely think its cheaper than buying in the UK.

Most anything that has to be done under Applecare has to be sent to Singapore. I just had my battery replaced under Applecare and the shop here made me pay to send the battery off to Singapore (600Bt about 14Euro). The positive they got me a new battery in three working days.

My Ipod that I bought in the US crashed (bad battery) and I brought it into the main apple shop in Chiang Mai and they replaced it with a new one within a week. I think I paid 400 baht shipping.